Folding leg table



Jan. 16, 1934. R v STQNER r AL 1,943,563

FOLDING LEG TABLE Filed July 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS RobertV152? oner and BY ErvinA 60/7/6616 ATTORNEYS Jan. 16, 1934. R. v. STONERET AL 1,943,563 FOLDING LEG TABLE 4 Filed July 5, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTORS Robert V Stoner and grl/injl dchiaa/a,

ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 15, 1934 UNITED STATES FOLDING: LEG TABLE RobertV. Stoner and Ervln AZ. Schlaak.

' Muncie, Ind.

Application July 5, 1932. Serial No. 620,764

9 Claims. (Cl. 45-11) The object of our invention is to produce ancfiicient, inexpensive folding-leg table of such character that the legsmay, by simple manipulation of any one leg, be easily shifted fromtablesupporting positions to folded positions substantially parallelwith the table-top, or vice versa.

The accompanying drawings illustrate our invention.

Fig. 1 is an under plan of our improved table with the legs in folded,or collapsed, positions;

Fig. 2 a fragmentary side elevation wiht the legs extended totop-supporting positions;

Fig. 3 a fragmentary under plan showing the legs extended;

Fig. 4 a fragmentary section on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

In the drawings indicates the main frame of the table top, shown in thepresent instance.

as a four-sided skirt formed of sheet metal.

Secured in each corner of frame 10 is a corner plate '11 and extendingdiagonally between the corner plates are beams 12, 12, convenientlyformed of sheet metal, so arranged as to sup-' port the middle of thetop plate 13, the upper face of which may or may notbe overlaid with afinishing cover and padding, as is well known in the art.

Extending between, and secured to two opposite sides of frame 10 is abeam 14, conveniently formed of sheet metal, and also convenientlyattached to the diagonal beams 12 by spot welding or otherwise securedto the under face of each corner plate is a U-shaped bracket 15 in whichis pivoted, on pin 16, a leg 17, the brackets being so arranged that thelegs may be folded to positions parallel with sides of frame 10 andparallel with the plane of the table top.

The legs 1'7 are connected, in opposite pairs, by cross-bar braces 20,20 each of which is pivotally anchored at its ends upon the adjacent legpivot pins 16.

At the junction of the beams 12, 12 and 14, is a lever 21 mediallypivoted on pin 22. Pivoted on pins 23, 23 carried by beam 14 near itsends are two levers 24, 24 (shown in the drawings as conveniently sheetmetal disks). Pivoted to each lever 24 are two links 25, 25, which areextended in opposite directions and each pivotally connected with anadjacent leg 1'7. Oppositely-extending links 26, 26 are pivotallyconnected to the opposite arms of lever 21 and each ofthese links ispivotally connected to one of the levers 24.

It will be noted, by a comparison of Figs. 1 and 3, that levers 22 and24, 24 and links 26, 26 are so related that the arcs of movement of thepivotal connections between links 26 and their respective levers 24,resulting from a swing of the legs from one extreme to the other, issuch that the links 26 pass through positions radial to levers 24 andthat the extreme positions of links 26 are upon opposite sides of theseradii.

It will also be noted that the resultant movement of lever 21 is acomplete oscillation, i. e., a swing first in one direction and then inthe opposite direction, for each movement of the legs either from foldedposition to extended position, or vice versa. Consequently, the legs maybe yieldingly held either in folded position or in extended position bya restraining means always acting upon lever 22 in one direction onlyrelative tothe fulcrum of said lever. We have indicated such restrainingmeans as the two springs 30, 30, each of which is anchored to an end oflever 21 and to the cross beam 14, said springs acting in the samerotative direction at all times on lever 21.

Any suitable limiting means may be provided for limiting the throws oflevers 24 and we have indicated one form of such limiting means as anarcuate groove 31 impressed in beam 14, and a pimple 32 impressed inlever 24 and nested in groove 31.

When the legs are swung to extended position (Fig. 4) they swing intoengagement with the end walls of the brackets 15, as indicated at 35,and in these positions links 25 are being urged outwardly by springs 30so as to be held against the end walls of the brackets 35 so that thelegs are firmly braced against accidental collapse.

It should also be noted (Fig. 3) that the links 25 are so associatedwith their levers 24 that,- as the legs reach their full-extendedposition, each link 25 lies substantially radially with relation to thefulcrum of its lever 24, so that the operator may, by a pressure on theinner ends of one or more of the, links 25, spring the links, and thelevers 24 to which they are attached, slightly past this dead center,thus firmly locking the legs against collapse. When the parts aremanipulated in this way the legs may not be collapsed until the innerends of those links 25 which have thus been displaced, are swung backacross the dead center.

We claim as our invention: I

1. A table comprising a top, a plurality "or leg units pivotallysupported on the top and arranged to be swung to positions either sub-11 stantiallyparallel with or normal to the plane of the top, aplurality of levers pivotally supported on the top on axes normal to thetop, one for each leg unit. a plurality of links each pivotallyconnected to one of said levers and to an adjacent leg unit, anintermediate lever pivotally supported upon the top intermediate thefirst-mentioned levers, and a plurality of links, one for each of thefirst-mentioned levers, each of said last links connecting one of saidfirst-mentioned levers with the intermediate lever.

2. A table comprising a top, a plurality of leg units pivotallysupported on the top and arranged to be swung to positions eithersubstantially parallel with or normal to the plane of the top, aplurality of levers pivotally supported on the top on axes normal to thetop, one for each leg unit, a plurality of links each pivotallyconnected to one of said levers and to an adjacent leg unit, anintermediate lever pivotally supported upon the top intermediate thefirst-mentioned levers, and a plurality of links, one for each of thefirst-mentioned levers, each of said last links connecting one of saidfirst-mentioned levers with the intermediate lever, said last-mentionedlinks being so arranged relative to the first-mentioned levers thatmovement of the legs from one extreme position to the other in eitherdirection will carry said last-mentioned links through neutral positionsradially of the first-mentioned levers to which they are connected.

3. A table comprising a top, a plurality of leg units pivotallysupported on the top and arranged to be swung to positions eithersubstantially parallel with or normal to the plane of the top, aplurality of levers pivotally supported on the top on axes normal to thetop, one for each leg unit, a plurality of links each pivotallyconnected to one of said levers and to an adjacent leg unit, anintermediate lever pivotally supported upon the top intermediate thefirst-mentioned levers, a plurality of links, one for each of thefirst-mentioned levers, each of said last links connecting one of saidfirstmentioned levers with the intermediate lever, said last-mentionedlinks being so arranged relative to the first-mentioned levers thatmovement of the legs from one extreme position to the other in eitherdirection will carry said last-mentioned links through neutral positionsradially of the first-mentioned levers to which they are connected, anda spring arranged to act upon said last-mentioned links with aforcecomponent lengthwise of the link to hold them in either extreme.

4. In a table comprising a top, two pairs of legs pivotally supported onthe top and arranged to fold in opposite directions either tosubstantial parallelism with or substantially normal to the plane of thetop, two levers pivotally supported on the top on axes normal to the topand respectively adjacent opposite sides ofthe top and eccentric to thetable top, a pair of oppositely-extending links pivoted to opposite armson each of said levers and pivoted respec-- tively to adjacent legs ofopposed leg pairs, an intermediate lever pivotally supported by the topintermediate the first-mentioned levers, and a pair of links connectingsaid intermediate lever respectively with the first-mentioned levers.

5. In a table comprising a top, two pairs of legs pivotally supported onthe top and arranged to fold in opposite directions either to .allysupported on the top respectively adjacent opposite sides of the top andeccentric to the table top, a pair of oppositely-extending links pivotedto opposite arms on each of said levers and pivoted respectively toadjacent legs of opposed leg pairs, one pair of said links being soassociated with the lever and legs to which they are connected that whenthe legs reach tablesupporting position said pair of links may be movedbeyond a dead center to the lever to which they are connected, means forlimiting movement of said last-mentioned lever past said dead center, anintermediate lever pivotally supported by the top intermediate thefirst-mentioned levers and a pair of links connecting said intermediatelever respectively with the first-mentioned levers.

6. In a table comprising a top, two pairs of legs pivotally supported onthe top and arranged to fold in opposite directions either tosubstantial parallelism with or substantially normal to the plane of thetop, two levers pivotally supported on the top respectively adjacentopposite sides of the top and eccentric to the table top, a pair ofoppositely-extending links pivoted to opposite arms of each of saidlevers and pivoted respectively to adjacent legs of opposed leg pairs,an intermediate lever pivotally supported by the top intermediate thefirst-mentioned levers, and a pair of links connecting said intermediatelever respectively with the first-mentioned levers, said last-mentionedlinks being so arranged relative to the levers which they connect thatthey will pass through a dead center relative to their first-mentionedlevers when the legs are in an intermediate position.

7. In a table comprising a top, two pairs of legs pivotally supported onthe top and arranged to fold in opposite directions either tosubstantial parallelism with or substantially normal to the plane of thetop, two levers pivotally supported on the top respectively adjacentopposite sides of the top and eccentric to the table top, a pair ofoppositely-extending links pivoted to opposite arms of each of saidlevers and pivoted respectively to adjacent legs of opposed leg pairs,one pair of said links being so associated with the lever and legs towhich they are connected that when the legs reach table-supportingposition said pair of links may be moved beyond a dead center to thelever to which they are connected, means for limiting movement of saidlast-mentioned lever past said dead center, an intermediate leverpivotally supported by the top intermediate the first-mentioned leversand a pair of links connecting said intermediate lever respectively withthe first-mentioned levers, said last-mentioned links being so arrangedrelative to the levers which they connect that they will pass through adead center relative to their first-mentioned levers when the legs arein an intermediate position.

8. A table comprising a top, a plurality of legs pivotally supported onsaid top and movable to positions substantially parallel with or normalto the plane of the top, a plurality of levers, one for each legpivotally supported by the top eccentric ofthe top and on axes normal tothe top, a plurality of links each pivotally connected to one of saidlevers and one of said legs, an intermediate lever pivotally supportedby the top within the .group of first-mentioned levers,

supported by the top within the group of firstmentioned levers, and aplurality of links each pivoted to said intermediate lever and to one ofsaid first-mentioned levers, said last-mentioned links being so arrangedrelative to their respective first-mentioned levers that they will passthrough a dead center when their respective legs in an intermediateposition.

ROBERT V. STONER. ERVIN A. SCHLAAK.

